Confidence Returns

 I am feeling a bit better this week and am getting my confidence back that I can accomplish the goals I have set for myself. I follow a FB group that it's members either have hiked, are currently hiking or dream of hiking the EBC trek. Some of these people are older (like me) and have been quite successful. They are in fact sometimes event more successful that many of the younger people that think that because they are young they can easily do it. The older people approach this more like I am. They train for a year or more. I am already looking ahead to planning my vacations next year to some mountainous hiking destinations. I plan on returning to Cloudcroft New Mexico, where I have been several times and love all the trails there. It is also a perfect elevation at 9000 feet. I am also looking at Big Bend National Park, but it will be tricky to get campground reservations for it so I may go instead to Guadalupe Mountains. 

I have ordered a Stair Stepper exercise machine. It is the one thing that I see people recommending to use to get in shape for mountain trekking. I think it will get delivered tomorrow. It is compact and I can keep it handy but out of the way when not in use and it is small enough that I can set up and use it in front of the TV. Maybe I'll watch You tube videos of the EBC trek while working out! 

The EBC trek has two difficult hilly climbs. The first is going from Phakding to Namche Bazaar. killer hills up and down for several hours. then the morning after reaching Basecamp it's a early rise to hike to the top of  Kalapathar to see the sunrise behind Mount Everest and Mount Lohtse. I know I have my work (outs) ahead to be in top shape for those two hikes. 

So I guess it's time to start getting serious about these workouts! 

doubting demon part 2

 Once again my mind ventured down the pit of self doubt. It actually kind slammed into me with a sudden WTF are you thinking that you can travel to Nepal for two months. Do you really want to step out of your comfort zone and take on something so crazy? You are not this kind of person. Just stay home and garden, cuddle with your dogs, watch Netflix all day. Yes, just sit back and wait to die. 

No, no, no!  Adventure awaits! experience life, the world, new people. I am not weak (well I hope I am not). I am terribly introverted but that's okay. Hiking is great for introverts. Walking along taking in the surroundings, left to my own thoughts. What could be better than that? My house, my garden, my bed. Yeah, that does sound nice. No, no, no! Stop thinking like that. JUST DO IT! 

Okay, so I just had a browse online looking at the details of the trek to EBC and pictures that trekkers have posted.  It is a really amazing trip and EVERYONE loved it and say that it is a must to do once in your life. So i just need to get my head back on track. I can do this!

Ramblings while bored

 It's another quiet day at work as it often is for me. Sometimes I feel guilty as everyone else is usually very busy as there are so many events going on. I guess that is a problem of staying in a job for so long is that it becomes so easy and I've had years to streamline and perfect the processes.2 years 7 months 24 days until retirement. I really am looking forward to it now since I have a goal set and a bucket list trip that will hopefully be as amazing as I think it will be. 

Moving on to upcoming trips I hopefully will be purchasing tickets for Alaska soon. The price for the flight to Fairbanks dropped a bit today, but the return is still a bit much. I'm hoping by next week it will drop in price too. I have the rail reservation changed to Fantu from the ex-friend that weirded out on me and cancelled. She is so excited. We are going shopping at the Columbia Outlet on Memorial Day to get her outfitted for the trip. It's difficult as a native Texan to think that it could be in the 40's in August up there. I shouldn't be surprised though as I've dealt with 40's in August in Cloudcroft NM, and 27 degrees in mid-September while camping in the Tetons. I plan on doing a bit of cold weather camping near Cloudcroft/Ruidoso next year and probably a few more times before I travel to Nepal as the guesthouse bedrooms are not heated and can be below freezing overnight. I think that is what makes me the most nervous is sleeping in the cold for two weeks. I've never done more than four nights in a row. 

So I was just looking at a world map. Nepal is closer to the equator than Gatesville. It's not a great distance Nepal sits just south of the 30 degree north parallel while Gatesville is just a bit north of it. I just had it in my head it was further north than that. 

            Nepal sits on the north-northeastern border of India, Gatesville sits pretty much centered in Texas. I believe Dallas is marked on the map - we would be Southeast of there by about 140 miles I think.  I guess this explains the climate there. Their summers are warm and muggy with a lot of rain, it is referred to as Monsoon season instead of summer. April and October are the prime trekking months as temperatures are somewhat mild and the rains aren't constant. The trails are crowded though as there will be almost two to three times as many hikers in those two months as in any of the others. May and September are also fairly good but if the rains come early or stay late it can really spoil the trip. November starts to get cold, but the days are generally sunny and dry and the trails aren't as crowded. This is why I plan on going in November. I don't do crowds. I barely do people. 

A lot of people like going in April and May as that is when the Base Camp is filled with Everest Expeditions. The climbers spend all of April and the first half of May acclimating to the high altitude. The last two weeks of May is when the do their ascent of Everest.  This year Nepal issued 450 permits to climbers, Tibet issues up to another 300. That is way too many people on that mountain over that 2 week period. I see it as too many people on the trail plus all the goods being transported by Yaks from Lukla to Base camp. It just makes it way to crowded and busy for me to not get stressed.  It's great for the people that want to see all the activity and like the buzz that is generated but I'm going for the scenery, the mountains and the Sherpa culture. 

Oh and of course let's not forget about the food! Bal Dhat!

Mother's Day Hike

 Yesterday was Mothers Day. Phone calls or text messages from the 3 of the 4 kids. The fourth one spent the day with me. I was really wanting to go hiking this weekend at Mother Neff State Park as I had heard the wildflowers were blooming like crazy. Only problem was we had been having some rain and more was forecast. I checked the radar and it looked like the rain was staying a bit east of the area. What rain there was seemed to be light. I decided to take the gamble and hope any heavy rain would stay away and the trails would not be too muddy. I grabbed the rain gear just in case, loaded up the dog, and off we headed. 

It took about 20 - 25 minutes to get to the park. A light rain was falling but we were determined to get a bit of hiking in. luckily still no heavy rain showing on the radar. It really was the perfect weather to hike the prairie trail because if it had been warm and sunny the snakes would be out and slithering about. A cool rainy day they either wouldn't be out or would be sluggish due to the coolness of the day. It was a beautiful hike as the wildflowers were indeed in full bloom. Reds, yellows, whites, pink purple and blue covering the area. I loved when I would see some of the same Texas natives I have growing in my yard blooming naturally in the wild. We hiked for just over an hour and did not mind the rain at all. It lent such a clean fragrance to the air and kept the day comfortably cool. We also had the tails to ourselves which was so nice as the dog can get a bit excited when he meets someone. I could've easily hiked for another hour but the trails were getting a bit slick and my daughter only had on her runners and not hiking boots so she was slipping around a bit. The dog was also getting pretty wet by this time. It was a wonderful hike and I really enjoyed getting out of the house for a bit. 

Here are a few pictures of the fields of flowers.

The Doubting Demon

 I have Nepal on my mind all the time. I have been watching you tube videos, following social media accounts and just day dreaming about being there. I really need to calm my brain down as it is still way too distant in the future to be so consumed by thoughts of this trip. I need to instead be concentrating on my upcoming trip to Alaska. It is going to be so amazing with all the excursions and sights we are going to see. Fantu will be traveling with me so I know we will have a blast. I find myself instead stressing over it. Maybe it's just because it is getting close and I need to get flights booked and all the last details figured out. Airfares are still so much more than I expected. The flights schedules are really horrible too. it's either early departures with a decent arrival time or a late departure with an arrival after midnight. The time difference is 3 hours so a flight that arrives in Fairbanks at 1:30 am will feel like 4:30 am to us. But I don't want to fly out from Austin at 6:00 am to get into Fairbanks in the afternoon. I hate that I am stressing over this because when I look at flights to Kathmandu it is in the range of 36 hours travel time and prices nearly three times as much as Alaska. I really hate how airlines fluctuate airfares. The constant ups and downs makes it impossible to know when to book to get the best deal. When is too early to book? Too late?  Can they not just set a price for certain seats and just leave it. It is just so frustrating. 

So the self doubt demon has been whispering in my ear telling me I'm a fool for wanting to do the EBC trek. Who do I think I am that I can trek 130 km up and back a 9000 foot change in elevation at 67 years of age? Wouldn't life be much easier to just sit on the sofa watching Netflix in my cozy home with clean running water, central air conditioning/heat, and food that I cook? Well but of course it would be easier and safer. I want adventure! I want to step out of the box and see things I only dreamed of. I want to give my time to help those in need. I need to hang on to my confidence and self esteem! Go away demon of doubt, I will not let you make my life boring. 

My Inspiration

 I hear some women discuss how their mothers inspired them. I loved my mother but the most inspirational she was is that it ended up being that I did not want to age the same as she did. I understand she was in poor health most of her adult life so it was difficult for her to get out and do things. She was perfectly content to sit in her recliner and watch tv all day. I do not want to be that person. I want to get out and explore my world, have adventures, and inspire others to live life in full. 

There are discussions on a social media account I follow for EBC (Everett Base Camp) trekkers and those aiming to be a EBC trekker. The topic often come up on what inspired you to make this journey. For most it is the love of the mountains. Some may say it is the culture of Nepal. I think for most it is the adventure of attempting to do something out of the ordinary, to do an ultimate bucket list destination. For me it is all of the above plus proving to myself that I can do something that will require me to make the changes I want to make in my life and have a goal, a destination to aim for. I don't do failure. I don't do people telling me I can't do something. Yeah, I'm stubborn. I also want to inspire others to get out there and chase their seemingly impossible dreams. I realize none of it will be easy.

I have seen the Rockies (multiple locales) the Appalachians, the Blue Ridge Mountains, Sierra Nevada's, Guadalupe mountains in West Texas and will soon see Mount Denali in Alaska. I've seen the mountains (really big hills) in Ireland and the Alps in Switzerland. I have also traveled into the Simeon mountain range in Ethiopia. I do love mountains. I really want to see the Himalayas, but not just see them I want to experience them. 

I hope to find joy and inspiration in the journey just training to get there. to get stronger and healthier. To be a confident and independent woman. 

                                                Tetons in Wyoming, September 2021

Diary

 I have never been one to keep a diary or journal. I have written a few different blogs over the years documenting events in my life.  I will be documenting here where I am at in my journey, what I am doing to reach my goals and what I need to do to reach my goals. 

So, my goal is to travel to Nepal in the Autumn of 2026. I want to spend at least one month doing volunteer work most likely either in Kathmandu or Pokhara. When that wraps up I want to hike the Everest Base Camp trek. It is a fourteen day trek that starts in Lukla - elevation 9200 feet and goes up to Gorak Shep and the Everest Base Camp at 17,602 feet. I also hope to go up to the top of the nearby Mount Kalapatther at 18,193 feet . The views of Everest, Nuptse and Changtse are spectacular from Kalapatthar and there are glimpses of the northern flank and summit of Lhotse. 

While I love mountains and seeing Everest is top of my bucket list, the trip is about so much more than that. It is seeing and experiencing the people and culture of Nepal. It is also about being in one of the most amazing places in the world. It is about facing the challenge of preparing for this trip and the journey that training will lead me on and of course the journey itself to Nepal. It is proving to myself that I can do this!

Training, I have to focus on training. In my research they say start preparing six to twelve months out by hiking, regularly and on several days consecutively. Work out on a treadmill and stair stepper to prepare for the inclines. Well I have started with baby steps and am hiking on the weekends, short hikes of about an hour. I will increase these gradually. I am hoping by this time next Spring to go to Cloudcroft/Lincoln Forest to do daily hike of three to five miles at 9000 feet elevation. I hope to do those regularly until my target of Autumn 2026 to go to Nepal. I have over three years to train. I know I can do it as long as I can avoid the "what if's" ( injury, illness and money). 

I CAN DO THIS!!!

Hump Day

Optimistically thinking it is halfway to the weekend, but the pessimist in me goes ugh just halfway there, I wish it were Friday afternoon. I don't know why I look so forward to the weekend. It is usually filled with home and garden chores, grocery shopping and trying to keep the dogs entertained. Actually it is just keeping King my sons dog entertained. I am currently homing him until Abate can locate a place that will allow him to keep a big pittie mix. King is used to being played with and entertained by Abate. I don't mind it some of the time but he can be very demanding and it is a bit too much. Last night I just wasn't in the mood and he got frustrated and then depressed. I didn't feel guilty though as I really needed the mental break. I also was very interested in a documentary on Netflix about the 2015 earthquake in Nepal. It was a three-part series but only touched on a few stories. It did leave me wanting to know more about the impact to areas not covered in the film and the long term impact on the area. I do know that rebuilding is still going on in some regions. 

Nepal is a beautiful country. I have been fascinated by it for as many years as I can remember. The beauty of the Himalayas really attracts me because my soul is drawn to the mountains. As John Muir said; "The mountains are calling and I must go".  The path before me that I am beginning to explore is one that will possibly lead me to the Himalayas.  I however let myself get distracted by too many what if's and instead I need to concentrate on the why not's. Right now at this time in my life I am healthy, I am financially able, I am stubborn enough to not give up. I need to stay healthy, I need to get out and hike, build up my stamina and hike at higher elevations that what I have here nearby (Cloudcroft here I come). If you are wondering I do not plan on summitting Mount Everest. I am only looking at mountain trekking. There was one story though of a young woman that was on her first attempt to climb Everest. When she was a student she was very shy and introverted. One of her professors said she needed to set a goal to do something outside of her comfort zone. She then overheard a conversation where a group was talking about climbing Everest. She went home and Googled what do I need to do to climb Mount Everest. Well three years later after much training she's on the mountain when the earthquake hits. She fortunately survives and over the next 7 years returns to Climb Everest and goes on to complete the Climb of the Seven Summits. I found her story so inspiring.  

There is another reason I am looking at Nepal. I receive a joy and peacefulness to my soul when I volunteer. I enjoy it even more when traveling to disadvantaged areas and working to bring a bit of hope to the people there. There are numerous opportunities in Nepal that I am exploring. I just need to decide what type of work do I wish to do and where. 

It's not like I am in any kind of a rush to accomplish any of this. I have plenty of time to think this all through. This is an adventure for after I retire in January of 2026. That is one reason there are so many "what if's". 

Now to get over the hump.

a new journey begins

 Life often takes us down pathways we never imagined. Our directions change sometimes by choice but often by circumstance. For me too many have been changes beyond my control, sometimes with great tragedy or heartbreak. I once again find myself at a new crossroad, not quite by choice but one I am happily embracing. I am trying to listen to my soul as I decide which path to take. 

I am starting this blog to document where this new path will lead. I see a path that I am drawn to. It is unexpected but I feel so strongly that this is where I will go. I am cautiously exploring it.  I am tempted but it will be a challenging journey but one I know will bring a joy to my soul and sense of accomplishment to my life. It is something I search for as I find the years slipping away. I will be sixty-five the end of this year. I can no longer pretend that I am young even though I often feel it. I need to live. I need to experience. I need to calm my soul. 

I am on this path partially due to failed relationships. I have finally come to realize that I enjoy living alone, being alone, doing things alone. It was something I never was before and was scared to be. But now that I am I don't think I ever want to be in another serious relationship. I like living life for me.. on my terms... on my own time. It is very liberating. It is much like a message sign I saw posted at El Arroyo (well known for their humor) "I've been single for awhile now, and honestly think I am the one!" 

The path I am drawn to takes me back to my love of hiking, especially in the forests and mountains. I get such happiness, a peacefulness and a restfulness to my soul when I am out in nature. I have let too many years go by that I didn't get out. Oh maybe a an odd trip here and there, but not enough to maintain the contentment that those few outings brought. So I am making a point of going for walks in the park or hiking on nearby trails. I am planning on many future trips to the areas I love most and to go discover new ones. I also want to reconnect with that feeling I had when I spent time at Kidane Mehret orphanage in Addis when I helped with the kids there. The feeling one gets from giving back with ones time to help those most in need. While I do not plan on returning to Ethiopia at this time I am looking at other options for when I retire in less than three years. It is on that path I am exploring. As I may venture on down that path I may be led to new ones. That is something I have learned often happens over the years, sometimes when you least expect it . I do hope though that I have learned that even if the path does change, I will remain true to the direction that my soul feels at peace. 

The path of my soul...

I look into my soul and find I search for peace and meaning

The truth comes upon me and then leads me down new paths

To understand the message before it is lost

will another facet of my soul emerge.